A Chemical Conspiracy

Unlike wild theories that suggest the moon landing never happened or the September 11 terrorist attacks, allegedly orchestrated by the American Government, the idea of chemtrails is not vastly popular. It travels from mind to mind in a gradual and subtle fashion, believed by some, dismissed by many and unknown to most.

Chemtrail is a term used to describe the long lasting condensation that (formed by hot water vapour from jet engines mixing with cold atmospheric conditions) high flying air crafts leave in the sky. Chemtrail conspiracy theorists believe when normal trails don’t dissipate quickly, they are most likely chemical agents, such as aluminium and silver particles, that are inconspicuously sprayed in the sky to deflect sunlight.

This is thought to be a secret government application of geoengineering, which is the attempted modification of Earth’s climate. Supporters of this theory believe the government is using chemtrails as a means to manipulate the planet’s temperature and therefore combat global warming.

If the sceptics were to be proven wrong and this were true, it is understandable why the government would want this practice kept strictly quiet. Environmentalists would be enraged at the unofficial experimentation with Earth’s atmosphere and the backlash from the general public would be paramount. The idea, however, is not without its scientific backing.

Clouds significantly influence the temperatures of the atmosphere by deflecting sunlight. Scientists have observed that condensation trails formed by aircraft flying at low altitudes, can contribute to thick cloud formation which stops sunlight from hitting Earth’s surface.

As both aluminium and silver are highly reflective metals, dispersing their particles in the air to control the weather isn’t an entirely unbelievable possibility. Although, it is a claim that is widely rejected by the scientific community. Many people might take the scientists at their word, while others might argue that scientific research is predominantly funded by the government, which causes bias.

Whether it’s a myth without merit or a fact without faith, chemtrails certainly prove to be an intriguing topic. If it were true, manufactured weather would surely follow, functioning as another aspect of the world people have been able to control. But if the facts cannot be found, chemtrails are yet another conspiracy theory that people will struggle to understand as just a story.